Bare Minimum Front Panel I/O configuration

[Jtalk4456]

Keeping in mind that a traditional low end mobo has maybe 2 usb 3's and a few 2's and a medium end board will typically have 2-4 3's with a type c or two, plus a couple of 2.0's, What kind of Front Panel I/O do you think is BARE MINIMUM for any case, small or large?

I know it's a long poll, but bare with me, and honest answers please.

Edit: Remember I'm asking for Bare Minimum. If a case doesn't have X, regardless of other features, I'm not getting it period

[r2724r16]

Best front I/O configuration IMO:

- Two USB 3.0 Type-A ports

- Two USB 2.0 Type-A ports

- One USB Type-C port

- Headphone jack(s)

- SD card slot

 

BTW, for some reason the last part of the survey (9. Other) is mandatory, it shouldn't be. 

[Jtalk4456]

sorry forgot a none on the last question

[manikyath]

all front I/O you really need is a pair of USB ports, front audio is a nice add-on too.

 

but honestly, beyond that..

- type c : put that stuff on the back.

- thunderbolt: because we all want to plug GPU docks in the front I/O of our desktops.

- built in SD card readers are a curse, once they go bad or outdated all they are is in the way.

- all the stuff under 9 is IMO a waste of space on the front of the case.

[Jtalk4456]

Fixed the last question if @r2724r16 wants to change it

[samcool55]

2 USB 2.0

2 USB 3.0

1 USB-C (thunderbolt would be a plus, but not required)

SD card reader (my case has one and it might seem like a silly thing but if you switch to a case that doesn't have one it's REALLY ANNOYING O_O)

Fan controls are nice but not a requirement.

 

Why 2 usb 2.0 and 2 usb 3.0

 

1) not every usb 2.0 device works fine in a usb 3.0 port.

2) for stuff that just needs some juice any usb port is fine.

3) not every motherboard has 2 usb 3.0 header connectors, but there is always 1 and usually there are plenty of usb 2.0 headers available.

[-rascal-]

I don't see how USB 2.0 ports are needed, since USB 3.0 port is backwards compatible with USB 2.0.

The USB 3.0 port spec has two sets of pins; one for USB 3.0, and another for USB 2/1.

 

 

 

THAT SAID, this is if motherboard manufacturers are willing to provide more USB 3.x headers on the motherboard.

 

I'm all for USB 3.0 altogether.

USB Type-C, with or without Thunderbolt support -- Thunderbolt support preferred.

SD and microSD card slot would also be a nice plus.

[samcool55]

4 minutes ago, manikyath said:

all front I/O you really need is a pair of USB ports, front audio is a nice add-on too.

 

but honestly, beyond that..

- type c : put that stuff on the back.

- thunderbolt: because we all want to plug GPU docks in the front I/O of our desktops.

- built in SD card readers are a curse, once they go bad or outdated all they are is in the way.

- all the stuff under 9 is IMO a waste of space on the front of the case.

About type-C, you have SSD's that use USB-C so it's nice to be able to connect those on the front instead of taking a dive into the back.

 

SD card readers, how can they get outdated?

If you mean speed wise, they use usb 2.0, it's not insanely fast, but 25MB/s read-write is more than enough to max out most SD/microsd cards.

And an SD reader with usb 3.0 would increase the price quite a lot because they aren't exactly cheap, they would require a usb 3.0 header which is again not always available (most motherboards only have 1 and connecting both USB 3.0 and an SD reader to a usb 3.0 port would probably require a sort of hub increasing the price even further)

 

And it's not like SD is going anywhere soon, they are everywhere and there is no replacement in sight.

[Jtalk4456]

1 minute ago, samcool55 said:

3) not every motherboard has 2 usb 3.0 header connectors, but there is always 1 and usually there are plenty of usb 2.0 headers available.

Interesting point... I didn't think about header availability. I'm not getting a clear answer by asking google the number of ports per header, but looking at available front panel io hubs, it seems to be capped at 4. If anyone knows this for a fact, please let me know. Given that, if we assume 2-4 of each type, you would need a usb 3.0 header and a usb 2.0 header. Can someone tell me if most motherboards have one of each header or only one or the other? If it's only one or the other, then I'll change the poll to reflect realistic options

[TVwazhere]

I didnt read "bare minimum", thought this was preference and chose 4 3.0's with a type C with no headphone jack (Most implementations arent shielded so I was getting a lot of static in my "higher end" headphones)

 

But For bare minimum I/O for all cases, 2 usb 2.0's, one USB 3.0 (preferably 2) and front audio. But I'm talking bare minimum in the sense that all cases should come with it whether theyre recommended or not. Recommended cases should now have at least 2 3.0 ports

[samcool55]

Just now, Jtalk4456 said:

Interesting point... I didn't think about header availability. I'm not getting a clear answer by asking google the number of ports per header, but looking at available front panel io hubs, it seems to be capped at 4. If anyone knows this for a fact, please let me know. Given that, if we assume 2-4 of each type, you would need a usb 3.0 header and a usb 2.0 header. Can someone tell me if most motherboards have one of each header or only one or the other? If it's only one or the other, then I'll change the poll to reflect realistic options

1 header = 2 ports.

It's actually very clear for USB 2.0 if you look at the pin lay-out.

Most motherboards have 1 usb 3.0 header and 2 usb 2.0 headers (that's at least what i usually see)

[Jtalk4456]

1 minute ago, -rascal- said:

I don't see how USB 2.0 ports are needed, since USB 3.0 port is backwards compatible with USB 2.0.

The reason I include that is purely cost. I don't know the manufacturing costs myself, but I would assume it to be more expensive to get more 3.0's in a case than to have 1 or 2 then toss some cheap 2's in for extra connectivity

 

3 minutes ago, samcool55 said:

About type-C, you have SSD's that use USB-C so it's nice to be able to connect those on the front instead of taking a dive into the back.

I hadn't thought about that. And I have a feeling more portable ssds with type c will show up in the market

[manikyath]

3 minutes ago, samcool55 said:

SD card readers, how can they get outdated?

their driver support is garbage, and i prefer my case not to get obsolete because a new version of windows bricked the drivers.

[samcool55]

Just now, manikyath said:

their driver support is garbage, and i prefer my case not to get obsolete because a new version of windows bricked the drivers.

...How did you manage to brick the OS with SD reader drivers?

Like, how? Aren't there generic drivers that just work?

I have a silencio 550 and it's 6 years old and windows 10 just works, i didn't even think about drivers for the SD reader, it just worked.

There were no drivers with the case so I'm just, confused, like how?

 

5 minutes ago, Jtalk4456 said:

The reason I include that is purely cost. I don't know the manufacturing costs myself, but I would assume it to be more expensive to get more 3.0's in a case than to have 1 or 2 then toss some cheap 2's in for extra connectivity

 

I hadn't thought about that. And I have a feeling more portable ssds with type c will show up in the market

The Samsung T5 is a very popluair SSD that uses USB-C and they existed for a few years now, but they are indeed getting more common which is nice.

[Jtalk4456]

8 minutes ago, TVwazhere said:

I didnt read "bare minimum", thought this was preference and chose 4 3.0's with a type C with no headphone jack (Most implementations arent shielded so I was getting a lot of static in my "higher end" headphones)

 

But For bare minimum I/O for all cases, 2 usb 2.0's, one USB 3.0 (preferably 2) and front audio. But I'm talking bare minimum in the sense that all cases should come with it whether theyre recommended or not. Recommended cases should now have at least 2 3.0 ports

so you don't find a type c bare minimum? do you often use type c?

 

7 minutes ago, samcool55 said:

1 header = 2 ports.

It's actually very clear for USB 2.0 if you look at the pin lay-out.

Most motherboards have 1 usb 3.0 header and 2 usb 2.0 headers (that's at least what i usually see)

Interesting, what about products like these?

https://www.amazon.com/Tendak-4-Ports-Metal-Connector-Adapter/dp/B00Q6XFAFU/ref=sr_1_14?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1545166445&sr=1-14&keywords=front+panel+usb+hub

I was gonna say they might be lying about the capabilities of half the ports, but they still only use 1 header, so i'm confused. 

Thanks for the mobo header count clarification.

[samcool55]

3 minutes ago, Jtalk4456 said:

so you don't find a type c bare minimum? do you often use type c?

 

Interesting, what about products like these?

https://www.amazon.com/Tendak-4-Ports-Metal-Connector-Adapter/dp/B00Q6XFAFU/ref=sr_1_14?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1545166445&sr=1-14&keywords=front+panel+usb+hub

I was gonna say they might be lying about the capabilities of half the ports, but they still only use 1 header, so i'm confused. 

Thanks for the mobo header count clarification.

There's a controller on them so it's a hub, not a straight pass-through which would be the case if it was just 2 ports.

Also only 1 port so only half of the connector is actually used.

There is a reason why it usually looks like there are 2 wires coming out of the connector.

 

USB headers (2 and 3) are basically just pass-throughs, there is no logic in them.

[TVwazhere]

Just now, Jtalk4456 said:

so you don't find a type c bare minimum? do you often use type c?

Not yet. 

 

Type C isnt common enough yet for it to be warranted as a bare minimum. It for sure is future thinking to have one on your case (which is why I'm considering them for my next case) but as a CASE enthusiast my prices are a bit higher than the average consumer looking at their next PC. Plus I'm also looking at 3.1 gen 2, not gen 1. Gen 1 may as well jsut be a regular Type A 3.0, not much point otherwise.

[manikyath]

20 minutes ago, samcool55 said:

...How did you manage to brick the OS with SD reader drivers?

os bricks drivers, not drivers brick os.

 

and yes, they're generic drivers, and that's the issue..

- someone makes the drivers

- someone makes the hardware

- someone puts the hardware in a product

- someone makes the updates for the OS those drivers run on

 

now, suddenly it stops working.. who needs to pony up the manpower to fix it?

[samcool55]

9 minutes ago, manikyath said:

os bricks drivers, not drivers brick os.

 

and yes, they're generic drivers, and that's the issue..

- someone makes the drivers

- someone makes the hardware

- someone puts the hardware in a product

- someone makes the updates for the OS those drivers run on

 

now, suddenly it stops working.. who needs to pony up the manpower to fix it?

Isn't the point of generic drivers that they work regardless what hardware you have so it always work?

What you describe doesn't really sound like generic anymore.

 

In the end the only thing in that chain that needs a driver is the controller that allows the SD card to talk to a system via USB.

If generic doesn't work, what about a driver specifically for that controller?

And what case caused the problem?

[manikyath]

26 minutes ago, samcool55 said:

Isn't the point of generic drivers that they work regardless what hardware you have so it always work?

What you describe doesn't really sound like generic anymore.

 

In the end the only thing in that chain that needs a driver is the controller that allows the SD card to talk to a system via USB.

If generic doesn't work, what about a driver specifically for that controller?

And what case caused the problem?

the problem with generic, is that generally it is not maintained. if it is a usb box i'll just toss it in the recycling bin and buy a new one. if it's built into my case.. i'm stuck with it.

 

and as for a driver for a specific controller, the generic driver, because the controller is made for the generic driver, insert huge loop here.

 

as for what caused the problem.. the card reader was about 6 years old, and the latest cumulative update for windows 10 (which.. windows 10 didnt even exist when the card reader was made) made something go wrong with the drivers where it wouldnt detect cards anymore.